The exploration of the Northwest Passage has been a fascinating chapter in Canadian history.  For centuries, explorers tried to find this fabled route to the riches of the Orient.  The most famous expedition was led by Sir John Franklin in 1845, and the disappearance of his two ships and 129 men launched 30 years of searches and discoveries.  Today, the Northwest Passage is traversed by cruise ships, and visitors are awed by the spectacular vistas of the Arctic.  Roland Neave has travelled extensively through the Northwest Passage, and was one of the first tourists to have the thrill of visiting the sight of the sunken shipwreck Erebus, the Franklin ship that was discovered in 1914.  This group also visited the Franklin graves on Beechey Island  and explored by Zodiac the tidewater face of Crocker Glacier.  Roland will share his knowledge of the history of the Northwest Passage highlighted by slides of his Arctic expedition.

This lecture explores the origins, the evolution and the role of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in shaping Canada’s national identity.  From its beginning as the Northwest Mounted Police to its transformation into today’s RCMP, the force’s contributions to frontier justice, law enforcement and Canada’s international reputation is legendary. Join Paulette for a nuanced look at Canada’s most iconic police force in the world. A zoom class, you may enjoy in the comfort of your home or in the company of others at KSC.

All That You Change Changes You shines a light on Laura St. Pierre’s decade-long approach to two survivalist tropes: scavenging and sowing. Borrowing its title from the opening lines of Parable of the Sower (1993), a novel by the late author, Octavia E. Butler, this exhibition brings together works made over the last decade, all produced against the backdrop of a built environment transformed by absence and adaptation.

This is the concert that officially celebrates the Symphony Orchestra’s 50th anniversary: a distant “Horizon” indeed in those early years.  And now, after 50 years of nurturing music in the community, behold—a new horizon appears.  What music would you choose to celebrate what’s been accomplished, and what is to come?  In this class we will explore Vaughan Williams’ celebratory “Serenade to Music” itself, then “Born by the River,” a work of indigenous composer Karen Sunabacka.  From closer to home there is the Kamloops-commissioned “The Great Moon” (suite) by Imant Raminsh, Canadian composer of Latvian descent.  To close, we have selections from another composition with an appropriately personal and celebratory purpose, the well-known “The ‘Enigma’ Variations” by Edward Elgar.

Providing physical activity guidance for the population is very general at 150 minutes of exercise per week, but we know that the benefits differ from one person to the next. Individualized exercise recommendations that maximize the benefits are being developed in the hopes of improving health and well-being. The goal of the research is to create daily, tailormade exercise regimes based on physiology and physical fitness.

Space is no longer the domain of governments alone.  Private companies are launching satellites, planning lunar bases, and racing toward Mars. Yet the legal frameworks governing all of this were written before Neil Armstrong took his first step. This session explores what the law says about who owns the solar system, who’s responsible when things go wrong, and what the coming decades might mean for how humanity — and the law — adapt to life beyond Earth. No legal background required.

The last Come to the Concert class of the semester is our opportunity to prepare for the music of Christmas time.  The Kamloops Symphony can always be counted on to present a musically rich and entertaining programme, both sacred and secular.  Pieces from Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker”?  Of course. Excerpts from “Messiah” by Handel? Almost certainly. And “In Terra Pax,” a sacred piece by the English composer, Gerald Finzi that celebrates the Nativity through a blend of texts from St. Luke’s gospel and Robert Bridges’ poem “Noël: Christmas Eve, 1913.”

Adapting to extreme environments is something humans are very good at and in this session we will examine how we can adapt to different stresses such as altitude, temperature and zero gravity environments. Depending on the task, some performances are actually enhanced under what would be, at first thought, unfavourable conditions whilst others can be managed with ingenious strategies.

North and South America were the last continents to be settled by Homo sapiens, but the story of when, where and how remains a fascinating mystery. Were the first migrants Ice Age hunters crossing the Bering land bridge, or seafarers following a Pacific coastal route? Drawing on evidence from archaeology, genetics and climate science, this talk takes us through the competing theories and the recent discoveries now reshaping them.  This a Zoom presentation.  You can view it in the company of others in the Sports Centre classroom, or, should you wish, in your own home.

The Russian attack on Ukraine and the Ukrainians’ amazing resistance is one of the most extraordinary and important events of our lifetime. Its impact will resonate throughout the world for decades to come.  From April through May of 2026, I travelled to Odesa Ukraine to show my support for the Ukrainian people and to visit the many friends that I have in the city.  During that  time I volunteered for a local NGO which works with the rehabilitation of Ukrainian veterans of the war.  The first half of this presentation describes wartime life in the city and how my friends are adapting to a very difficult situation.  The second part talks about the Veterans Hub where I volunteered and their work with Ukrainian veterans, helping them rehabilitate to civilian life.  It was an extraordinary experience.  This is a Zoom class; you can enjoy it with other KALS members at the Sports Council classroom, or in the comfort of your own home.

The conflict in Iran, which has spread across the Middle East and disrupted the global economy, has far-reaching consequences. Regardless of where this rapidly evolving situation stands on the date of this session, a number of conclusions can already be drawn and discussed regarding its geopolitical effects, many of which are likely to be felt for years to come. With this in mind, the presentation will endeavour to examine the economic, political, and military challenges arising from the war.